The Fundamentalist Mind – How Polarized Thinking Imperils Us All

The revered images and sacred narratives of the world's religions render existence meaningful. However, when interpreted literally rather than symbolically, the spiritual essence of religion loses its creative potential and can become a destructive force. Fundamentalists of any faith, says author Stephen Larsen, are in a rapture of certainty, secure in their righteous belief and an exclusive convenant with God. Our world today is embroiled in a 'clash of fundamentalisms' as predicted by the great mythologist Joseph Campbell, and, in the words of Dr. Huston Smith, 'all -isms end up in schisms.'

Such thinking exists not only in religion and the 'other' but in all of us - cultural creatives, left-wingers, scientists, and secularists alike. We all have an inner fundamentalist: It can originate right there in the amygdala, a tiny, almond-sized organ in the midbrain, that triggers the fight-or-flight response to danger. It also originates in the tendency to split thinking and feeling that exists throughout the brain. Larsen shows us how to free our minds by identifying polarized thinking in ourselves as well as others. He suggests a 'natural spirituality': the awareness of the God force in everything, the humility to admit mistakes, flexibility instead of rigidity, and a willingness to tolerate differences.

From Chapter Nine - 'Natural Religion' (p. 211 & 212):

INCANTATIONS TO THE HIDDEN GOD

" How you drove a chariot in battleHow you walked as a pilgrim,one-eyed and with a broad flopped hat,How one day you went nakedblack and female and worea terrible necklace of skullsto wake us up.How you danced wearinga bear mask.How you went down into theUnderworld, to sit as a Judge of men.How, hawk-winged,you carried the sun to its zenith.How as a beautiful youth you died again an again,how many times have we wept for you,sung holy dirges, and made sweet thingsfor your birth.We were the voice from the whirlwind,You were the golden calf,and He who threw down the calf.You were Mother of us all,and how many times you weptfor all your children.The fire from your terrible waking eyeignited the God of Loveto holy ash.When you dance your Rapturethe universe becomes a burning ground.Let those who feel that day is upon usLearn to find patience and compassion forAll that live in our fragile, beautiful world.Let us use your terrible sword to slay our egos,not our brothers. "